Hearing God In 1 Thess 5 (Nov 20)

Faithful God Will Sanctify You

Paul has many pleasant memories
of the days he spent with the infant
Thessalonian church. Their Faith,
hope, love and perseverance
in the face of persecution are
exemplary and Paul’s labours
as a spiritual parent to the fledging
church have been richly rewarded.
He encourages the Thessalonians
to excel in their Faith, increase in
their love, and rejoice always even
as God Promises to Sanctify them.

Lord, we want to Do Your Will:
Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the Will Of God in Christ
Jesus for you (1 Thess 5:16-18).
Now may the God of peace Himself
Sanctify You completely; and may
your whole spirit, soul and body
be preserved blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus (v23).
He who calls you Is Faithful,
who also Will Do it (v24). Amen.

Lord, it is always Your Will for me
to be joyful and pray often & give
thanks to You in all circumstances.
Help me to remember to do Your
Will in this regard, even when
I don’t see yet answers to prayers
as I would like it to be. No matter
what is happening now in my life,
I know that Your Will is good and
that You are fully in control. Amen.

Lord God of peace, do Your holy
work of Sanctification within me.
I want to honour You with my life.
I want to resist sin each day. But
at the same time, I confess some
thing within me is attracted by evil.
Keep me blameless. Give me
Lord a deep love for You and
the zeal for Your glory that will
surpass any impure passion. Amen.

Lord, I sincerely feel that my deepest
longings simply must be fulfilled.
I have brought them to You to do as
You please. Use them to accomplish
Your purposes; and I’m believing that
You will get me where I need to go.
I am now fully available to work
out the calling You have for me.
I know Lord that You are faithful
and that You will do it. Amen.

Hearing God In 1 Thess 2 (Nov 19)

Experiencing God’s Purpose

Paul has many pleasant memories
of the infant Thessalonian church.
Their Faith, love and perseverance
in persecution are exemplary and
Paul’s labours as a spiritual parent
to the church have been rewarded.
He encourages the Thessalonians
to excel in their Faith, increase in
their love, and rejoice always as
they await the return of the Lord.

Lord, we will Pursue Your Purpose:
We have been… entrusted with
the gospel, even as we speak, Not
Pleasing men, but God (1 Ths 2:4).
Live your lives in a way that God
would consider Worthy (1Ths 2:12).
We never stop thanking God that
when you received his message
from us, you didn’t think of our words
as mere human ideas. You accepted
what we said as the very word of
God, which of course, it is. And
this word continues to work in
you who believe (1 Thess 2:13).

Lord, thanks for Your plan of a
good future for each one of us.
Lead me to people, places and
thought processes that will clarify
and confirm Your purpose for me.
Fulfil Your purpose for me even
as I purpose to Please You God.
Grant me serenity to accept the
things I cannot change, courage to
change the things I can & wisdom
to know the difference. Amen.

Lord, whom I call as my first and
foremost, forgive me for sometimes
treating You as a minor player in
my life, as an auxiliary counsellor,
as a supplemental vitamin, or as
a subsidiary to my main business.
Help me Lord to seek Your will,
put You God first and live in such a
way that will not bring shame to You
but Honour Your holy name, Amen.

Lord, help me to be careful from
becoming judgmental in opinions.
Help me from being conceited in
ministry as if my words have the
power to bring about change and
deep growth that is needed. For
it’s Your Word that is needed most,
Your Word that has the power to
bring about real & lasting change.
In Jesus’ precious Name, Amen.

Hearing God In I Thess 1 (Nov 18)

Walking the Way of Faith

Paul has many pleasant memories
of the infant Thessalonian church.
Their Faith, love and perseverance
in persecution are exemplary and
Paul’s labours as a spiritual parent
to the church have been rewarded.
He encourages the Thessalonians
to excel in their Faith, increase in
their love, and rejoice always as
they await the return of the Lord.

Lord, we will Keep Faith In You:
We always thank God for all of
you and Pray for you constantly.
We remember before our Father
your work produced By Faith,
your labour prompted by love, and
your endurance inspired by hope
in our Lord Jesus Christ (1Ths 1:2-3)
You received the message with
joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of
the severe suffering… In this way,
you Imitated the Lord. As a result,
you have become an example
to all believers in Greece (v6-7).

Lord, I thank You for the gift of
direct access to You in Prayer.
Help me to model Apostle Paul
who encourages the Thessalonian
believers for their faith and love.
Bless my loved ones and friends
and draw them into ever closer
relationship with You. And help me
to be faithful in praying for them
constantly as long as I live. Amen.

Heavenly Father, we were created
ultimately to honour You as our Lord. 
Exercising Faith helps us do that for
Faith is shown by seeking after You.
And Trusting You to see us through
in hard times brings You glory.
Give me a sincere heart and
a faith that pursues after You;
for living for You my Master is
really what I ought to do. Amen.

Lord Jesus, help us to be like
the Thessalonians in Imitating You
and causing many to believe in You.
Help us Lord to endure suffering
and lead a life of faith in action.
Help us not to be self-centred
but be Christ centred and also
consider the interest of others.
Help us to give up “idols” but 
instead begin to serve U God. Amen

Meditating thro Ps 104-106 (Nov 17)

The LORD Reigns !!

Fourth book of Psalms (Ps 90-106)
is similar to Numbers, noting God’s
overruling kingdom to other nations.
Psalm 104-106 provide 3 snapshots
of the great God that we serve.
He creates & rules the universe (104);
He rules in our hearts (105) and
He loves us enough to discipline(106)

Abba Father, You Reign and there
are many things to be grateful for.
Because we’re citizens of kingdom
of God, we can keep troubles of
earth in their proper perspective.
Whilst life has its challenges, we see
You as the solution to our problems.
Lord, we Praise Thy Almighty Power.
Lord, we Seek Help From You. And
Lord, we Give Thanks to Thee. Amen

Lord, we Praise Your Creative Power:
O Lord, what a variety of things
You have made! In wisdom You
have made them all. The earth is
full of Your creatures… All creatures
depend on You to give them food
as they need it. When You supply it,
they gather it. You open Your hand
to feed them; and they are richly
satisfied… May the glory of the Lord
last forever (Ps 104:24, 27-28, 31).
Lord, I praise You for the beauty of
Your Creation. Your Word says the
wonders of creation are sufficient
to reveal Your attributes & leave us
without any excuse for not seeking U.
Open my eyes more to the evidence
of Your creative power all around me.
May Your glory last forever. Amen.

Lord, we will Seek After You:
Give thanks to the Lord & proclaim
His greatness. Let the whole
earth know what He had done.
Sing to him; yes sing His praises.
Tell everyone about His miracles.
(And) Exult in His holy name;
O worshippers of Lord, rejoice!
Search the Lord & for His strength.
Remember His marvellous works…
For He remembered His holy
promise (Psa 105:1-5, 42).
Lord, I give thanks to You and
purpose to proclaim Your greatness!
Thank You for the many promises
in Your Word that U will strengthen
me and reveal Yourself so that
I can know You more intimately.
Cause me to seek You with all
my heart and to depend on
Your strength for each day. Amen.

Lord, we will Give Thanks to Thee:
Praise the Lord! Give Thanks to
the Lord, for He is good! His faithful
love endures forever. Who can list
the glorious miracles of the Lord?
Who can ever praise Him…enough?
Remember me O Lord with the
favour you have toward your people.
O visit me with Your salvation. That I
may see the benefit of your chosen
ones, that l may rejoice, that I may
glory with your inheritance (P106:1-5)
Lord, You have given me so much.
You have blessed me with salvation
so that I could enjoy abundant life
here on earth & eternally in heaven.
Help me to praise and thank You
not only on happy occasions
but regularly and continually.
May I be like David, who punctuate
prayers with praise & thanksgiving.
For Your faithful love endures forever;
for I can never praise U enough.Amen

Meditating thro Ps 98-103 (Nov 16)

Be Thankful for God’s Blessings

Fourth book of Psalms (Ps 90-106)
is similar to Numbers, noting God’s
overruling kingdom to the nations.
And Ps 98-103 give us reasons to
worship God and why we should
Be Thankful for salvation (Ps 98),
God answers prayers (Ps 99),
God’s mercy and truth (Ps 100),
God’s justice and holiness (Ps101),
God’s care when downcast (Ps102),
and manifold blessings (Ps 103).

Abba Father, You are great & there
are many things to be grateful for.
Whilst life may have its challenges,
we will not to sink to the level of
the problems but look up to You
as the solution to our problems.
Lord, we Implore Your Help,
Lord, we Praise Your Mercy; and
Lord, we Thank Your Benefits. Amen

Lord, we Praise Your Mercy:
Enter into His gates with thanks-
giving, and into His courts with
praise. Be thankful to Him, and
bless His name. For the Lord
is good; His mercy is everlasting,
and His truth endures to all
generations (Psa 100:4-5).
Lord, I come before You with praise
and thanks for who You are and
everything You have done for me.
No matter what happens in my life,
I purpose not to sink to the level of
the problem. Instead I will rise to the
level of the solution and praise You
as the solution to my problems. Amen

Lord, we Implore Your Help:
Hear my prayer, O Lord; let
my cry for help come to you.
Do not hide your face from me
when I am in distress. Turn your
ear to me; when I call, answer me
quickly…You will have compassion…
for the appointed time has come…
He will respond…he will not despise
their plea (Psa 102:1-2, 13-17).
Lord, I worship You that You are
greater than anything I face.
Thank You that You are merciful
and compassionate and that You
hear my prayers and answer them.
Thank You that You inhabit my
praise and in Your presence my life
and circumstances are changed.
And grateful that praising You also
changes me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Lord, we Thank Your Benefits:
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all his benefits:
He forgives all my sins and heals
all my diseases. He ransoms me
from death and surrounds me
with love and tender mercies.
He fills my life with good things.
The Lord gives righteousness…
to all… The Lord is merciful and
gracious; he is slow to get angry
and full of unfailing love (103:3-8)
Lord, reveal Your mercy, grace
and unfailing love in my life.
Thank you for revealing Your
wondrous attributes in Your Word. Open my eyes as I read Your Word
so that my prayers are based on
the foundation of Your character.
And may my prayers have power for
they are based on Your truth. Amen

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K44trVhtZX4p

Hearing God In Col 3 (Nov 15)

Living the New Life for Jesus

Heresy that Jesus is neither
central nor supreme is undermining
the Colossian church. Paul’s
responds to these false teachings
by upholding Christ as the
Preeminent Head of the church
and speaks against man-made
regulations & ritualistic worship.
Instead Paul encourages them
to pursue a godly life befitting
those who are risen with Christ.

Lord, we’ll Seek Things of Above:
Since you have been raised to
New Life with Christ, seek those
things which are above… Set
your minds on things above , not
on things on the earth (Col 3:1-2).
Put on the new man who is renewed..
Put on tender mercies, kindness,
humility, meekness, longsuffering;
bearing with one another, and
forgiving one another… But above
all these things, put on love (v10-14).
Let the message about Christ in all
its richness, fill your lives. Counsel
each other with all the wisdom He
gives. Sing spiritual songs to God
with thankful hearts (v16). Amen.

Lord, help me to seek things which
are above and not things on earth.
Help me trust in the realities of Your
kingdom and see with eyes of faith.
Help me to better understand
the changes that salvation brings.
Help me as a brand new person,
that I do not have to yield to sin.
For the same power that raised
Christ from the dead is available
to me to live as I should. Amen.

Lord, grant me the grace to put
to death vices like anger & critical
language and put on Your virtues.
Help me Lord to be tender hearted,
merciful & forbearing towards others.
Help me to love and be forgiving
just as You have loved & forgive me.
Help me to recognise and discern
what is worthy of confrontation
and correction; and what I should
just graciously let it go. Amen.

Lord, we want to be filled with truth
of Christ and to live purposeful lives.
But we can be confused for the
world is full of lies & unholy agendas.
Help us focus & know You more as
we fill our hearts and minds with
Your words and spiritual songs. And
may our spirits be more sensitive
to Your Voice and Your Will. Amen.h

Prayer for Hong Kong

Corporate Prayer for Hong Kong

Hong Hong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has been urged by HK local barrister Stephen Lo in an open letter to quickly find a practical political and policing solution to (the crisis.)

https://gbtimes.com/carrie-lam-urged-to-tackle-hong-kongs-domestic-terrorism-in-open-letter

Lord, have mercy on Hong Kong;
for it saddens us to see what
that has happened in the streets.
Together we pray that You Lord
restrain the work of the evil one;
that You grant wisdom to pastors
how to guide the flock in Your way;
that You grant sense to protestors
how to protest in a non-violent way;
that You grant astuteness to police
how to control crowd with finesse &
that You grant courage to HongKong
government to do that which is right.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen !!

Hearing God In Col 1 (Nov 14)

Christ Worthy of Preeminence

All is not well in Colosse; for the
heresy that Jesus Christ is neither
central nor supreme is undermining
the church. Paul’s response to
these false teachings is two-fold.
First, he upholds Christ as the
preeminent Head of the church.
Next, he speaks out against the
rituals and man-made regulations.
which typify worship at Colosse.

Lord Jesus, You Live Within Us:
We ask God to give you complete
understanding of what he wants
to do in your lives… We also pray
that you will be strengthened with
His glorious power (Col 1:9-11).
He has delivered us from the
power of darkness and… we have
redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins (v13-14).
He is image of invisible God…
For by Him all things were created…
and for Him. He is head of the
church… that in all things He may
have the preeminence (v16-18).

Lord, thank You for providing
a way for me to be enlightened
with the understanding of Your will
and grasp Your purposes for my life!
Fill me with spiritual wisdom to
make the right choices & decisions.
Strengthen me with Your glorious
power so that I will have all the
patience and endurance I need.
And fill me with Your joy so that
I will readily offer thanks to U. Amen

Lord, it’s Your grace that I’m what I’m.
It’s Your grace that I’ve what I have.
It is Your grace that I have had
all the opportunities I have had.
It’s Your grace that I have met
the people that I have met.
Thank You for Your gracious gifts.
You are the author not just of good
temporal gifts but of Your good gift
of salvation. Thank You for rescuing
me from darkness. Amen and amen.

Lord, You’re Supreme & Almighty.
You created me for a reason; and
Help me be all that You created
me to be. Jesus, I adore You
not only for Your sacrificial love,
but also condescending to live in
and through me. Help me to let You
have the Preeminence in all things.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Hearing God In Phil 3 (Nov 13)

Press On to Upward Call of God

Despite adverse circumstances,
Philippians is an encouraging letter
 in the midst of persecution. There 
is much for Paul to rejooice about
 especially the church’s steadfast
 testimony for the gospel. Though
 that testimony is threatened by
divisions in the church, Paul is
 confident unity will be restored
as they imitate the humility and
servanthood of Christ. And Paul
 urges Rejoice in the Lord always.

Lord, we will Focus on the Goal:
Everything else is worthless when
compared with the infinite value
of Knowing Christ Jesus my Lord…
yes to know the power of His
resurrection and participation
in His suffering (Phil 3:8-10).
I am focusing all my energies on
 this One Thing: Forgetting the past
 and Looking Forward to what lies
 ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:13-14). (For)
our citizenship is In Heaven. And
 we eagerly await a Saviour from
 there, the Lord Jesus (v20). Amen

Lord, I choose to Know & follow You.
I open myself to whatever You want
to do in my life; no matter how
out-of-the norm, as long as it fits
Your character and Your purposes.
Lord, I want to Know You better;
and perhaps the only way for that
to happen is to experience some
of what You had gone through.
Please help me not squander those
opportunities, learn to feel what You
have felt & grow from them. Amen.

Lord, help me to Keep my Eye On
the Goal, where You’re beckoning
 me upward and onward to Jesus.
Keep me from being distracted by
the past; wrong choices & sins that
have been washed in blood of Christ.
Grant me grace and strength not to
turn back. You know my situation;
and promise to meet my needs.
And help me keep my eyes fixed 
on the eternal prize – unending life
in Your glorious presence. Amen.

Lord, I praise and Thank You for
giving me eternal life & listing me
among the residents of Heaven. 
Though this current life is filled
 with trouble and challenges,
I know I am only passing through.
Help me to Seek You First and
stop worrying about tomorrow. 
Grant me an Eternity Mindset
 so that I can endure the temporal
 difficulties that come my way.Amen

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aZfKy88ziQo&feature=youtu.be

Hearing God In Phil 2 (Nov 12)

God Who Works In You

Philippians is a joyful letter,
written by Paul from a prison cell
in Rome to the church he founded
on his second missionary journey.
Despite adverse circumstances,
Philippians is an encouraging
letter in the midst of persecution.
There is much for Paul to rejoice,
especially the church’s steadfast
testimony for the gospel.

Lord, we’ll work out sanctification:
Fulfill my joy by being likeminded,
having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind (Phil 2:2).
Don’t think only about your own
affairs, but be interested in others
too…Your attitude should be the
same that Christ Jesus had (v4-5).
Continue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God Who Works in you to
Will & to Act in order to fulfill His
good purpose (Phil 2:12-13) Amen.

Lord of grace and wisdom, I want
to make the Father truly happy
with me by living in harmony with
my Christian brothers and sisters,
by loving them, and by working
together with one mind & purpose
to bring more people to Christ.
Grant me success in this important
endeavour. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, work in me the desire
to please You rather than to
impress others. Forgive me for
my selfishness and for focussing
 on my life, my needs, my problems.
Help me to care more about others
and their needs too. And help me
 to have a servant’s heart so that
 U can do Your work thro me. Amen

Lord, grateful You are at work
within me to fulfil His purpose.
Help me to do what is right
and to obey with reverence.
Help me to hold on in faith, and
new power to live as I should.
Wean me from the excuse that
“I am too tired”, “I am too weak”…
For Your strength is sufficient
     for whatever I am facing. Amen.